Elegy

By Tara Hudson

A stranded spirit, and a love story that crosses the divide between the living and the dead…

Despite everything she's lost in the last few months, Amelia's new half-life feels something like a victory. That is, until the demons of High Bridge make their ultimate move: rising from Hell and killing Wilburton's residents, one by one, to get to Amelia.

When the death toll reaches too close to home, Amelia must make a horrible choice. Does she rely on the help of Joshua and his friends, or does she sacrifice herself… for the final time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Jul 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9780007442690

Tara Hudson

Tara Hudson lives in Oklahoma with her husband, son, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. After receiving her law degree, she began writing to entertain her girlfriends. They read her story about a ghost girl who awakes in a cemetery and wanted to know more. This short piece inspired the Hereafter trilogy, which culminates in Elegy.

Reviews for Elegy

[ku.-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This series is just simply stunning. But what kind of an ending was that? D:
Especially the epilogue. THAT WASN'T A HAPPY ENDING. Dx

[eomalley_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I went into Elegy with some trepidation since the whole premise of Tara Hudson’s Hereafter series just begs the question, “How can a ghost and a human have a long-term relationship?” Well, that question is answered beautifully in this final chapter. The tears flowed around my smile as the romance of Amelia and Joshua played out and I absolutely LOVED a switch in viewpoint Hudson threw in for the epilogue (the story is normally told from Amelia’s POV). It really punched up the emotion and added the perfect touch.Hudson masterfully builds the tension by kicking things off with a glimpse at a pivotal moment in the story and then flashing back to the events leading to that point. I love when this technique is used by authors because I’m immediately thrown into a state of anticipation for what is to come and enjoy discovering the twists and turns to get there. With Elegy, there were a LOT of these twists since Amelia was quietly working on her own solution to the problem at the same time her little group was plotting strategy. Little by little Amelia’s plans were revealed, deals were struck, and sacrifices were made, all leading to the moment where everything changed. The steady pacing helped, allowing me to savor every moment of the story and letting shocks and surprises stand out just a bit more.It was great to see the return of past characters (some in brief appearances, some in longer ones) and to have Amelia’s relationships with them resolved. Amelia’s mom, Joshua’s cousins from New Orléans with Amelia’s friend Felix in tow – even Eli and Gaby – each added their piece to this bittersweet finale. Grandma Ruth and Joshua’s sister Jillian also had significant roles to play, and to see it all come together was highly satisfying.With its steady build-up of tension, the return of old friends, and emotional impact, Elegy brings Amelia and Joshua’s romance to a satisfying conclusion that had me smiling through my tears. Author Tara Hudson doesn’t flinch from letting events play out to their logical conclusion, allowing sacrifices to be made and providing the perfect touch with a switch in viewpoint at the very end. A beautiful finale to a beautiful paranormal romance.

[belladonna624 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my thoughts in any way. The Hereafter Trilogy is a love story between Amelia (a ghost) and Joshua (a living boy). They are both very likable characters and I was rooting for them to overcome their obvious difficulties the whole time. I enjoyed reading their story. I don't want to give anything away, I hate spoilers, but I thought the ending was bittersweet. I was expecting it would go one way and it went a totally different way. I liked Elegy better than the first two books in the series and I'd be interested to read future books by Tara Hudson.